Most businesses believe Britain is facing a skills “crisis” in areas such as technology and engineering – saying they have not detected any improvement for years, according to a new study. Research by food giant Nestle found that a third of firms in the sectors believe the problem had worsened over the past five years.
A report said not enough young people were studying maths and science subjects to meet future demand for skilled workers.
But a survey of over 300 youngsters aged 14 to 16 found that most would consider a career in industries linked to technology and engineering.
Half said they knew little or nothing about the types of jobs on offer, while many science and maths teachers were also in the dark about careers, said the report.
Two thirds of the youngsters said they were planning to study so-called STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) in higher education.
Fiona Kendrick, chief executive of Nestle UK & Ireland, said: “It is a promising sign that so many young people in the UK are considering pursuing STEM subjects in higher education and as a career.
“However, there is evidently a breakdown that needs to be addressed, as while young people are interested in STEM subjects at schools, the uptake of careers in these areas is low – with many saying they don’t know enough about the careers that are available.
“It is essential that businesses play their part and I am delighted to see that more and more companies are engaging with schools and colleges to help highlight the vast and diverse number of rewarding careers on offer.”
Greg Clark, Minister of State for Universities, Science and Cities, said: “This research shows that there is clear need to do more to inspire young people to study STEM subjects and enable them to have the opportunity to access science and engineering careers.”
Angie Risley, group human resources director at supermarket giant Sainsbury’s, commented: “People may not naturally associate retail with Stem subjects but there is a lot of specialist work that goes on behind the scenes – with jobs ranging from weather analysts, to creative technologists, user experience designers, food technologists and data scientists.
“It’s a sector that offers great training and progression, however there are often not enough of the skilled people to meet our growing needs which means we find ourselves fighting to recruit the most skilled workers in specialist areas.
“That’s why we’re working with the Government through industry initiatives to make sure we have talented people in the pipeline to help us remain competitive and keep up with the pace of the market.” Source: Press Association
